Revision as of 08:46, 27 August 2012

Qeqertarsuaq is in Western Greenland.
The town Qeqertarsuaq is located on the island of the same name. Qeqertarsuaq means “the big island” in Greenlandic. The town was orginially founded in 1773 by the whaler Svend Sandgreen. The major industries for the town continue to be fishing and hunting. Glaciers and cliffs dominate the island itself, which is unlike the mainland that is spotted with mountains. The hot springs, which are usually on hillsides in many of the island’s valleys, are also a good tourist attraction worth visiting on Qeqertarsuaq.

Contents

Get in

There are weekly connections by helicopter from Ilulissat in the summer months. There are also ships that make stops in Qeqertarsuaq from Aasiaat. It is necessary to plan far in advance for traveling to Qeqertarsuaq.

Get around

The best way to get around the town is by foot. In the winter months skis, snowmobiles and dogsleds are also an option.

See

Museums
• The local museum houses a number of different exhibits, all worth seeing. It houses old satellites used in whale research and traditional kayaks and dogsleds.

Do

Snowmobiling
• The island is a great place to try snowmobiling. These types of tours can be arranged with the local tourist offices in advance.

Hiking
• The island is a popular place to hike; there are many different areas and terrain types to explore. If you hike to the summit of the island, there are spectacular views of the surrounding Disko Bay and on the clear days, you can even see some of the massive icebergs near Ilulissat over 100km away.

Sailing
• Sailing is a great way to not only see the island, but travel to it from a larger town like Ilulissat. On the journey you can expect to see icebergs the size of buildings and possibly even whales.